"Calhoun County saw its unemployment rate drop for the third consecutive month in December to 3.9 percent despite the area losing 300 nonfarm payroll jobs due to seasonal job cuts, according to state data released Thursday." (Battle Creek Enquirer)

"Michigan added 10,000 jobs in December, but its unemployment rate held steady at 5.1%, as new entrants continued to flow into the labor force — drawn, perhaps, by the improving outlook for jobs." (Detroit Free Press)